The GOP's pretend budget has led to a minor split in the party, The Hill reports.The unity of the GOP Conference was strong when all Republicans voted, on two separate occasions, to oppose the stimulus championed by President Obama, who had approval ratings in the 60s at the time. While many Democrats touted the passage of the stimulus, they privately acknowledged that the extent of the Republican opposition surprised them. But that harmony has been fractured, days before a special election in New York that some Republicans characterize as a must-win.
Some of the differences appeared Thursday over how they handled the rolling out of a much anticipated budget alternative, "The Republican Road to Recovery."
The lack of details -- or sense -- in their "alternative" as proven to be an embarrassment. "It looked like a disorganized blunder," one GOP aide said. "It's the worst messaging snafu at a time when the party can't afford one." And one dems were quick to pounce on.
"I think the party of 'no' has become the party of 'no new ideas,'" said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "I think the administration is glad that the Republicans heard the president's call to submit an alternative. We just hope that next time it will contain actual numbers so somebody can evaluate what it means."
"House Republican leaders today offered a document with little detail that would lead us back to the failed Bush economic policies that the American people have soundly rejected," Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "I urge Republicans in the House to reject the failed budget priorities endorsed by their leadership."
Republicans are quickly moving into damage-control mode. "The leadership's release of its economic plan is generating confusion," GOP Budget Committee wrote in a memo to members. "Unfortunately, this plan is being characterized as the 'Republican Budget Alternative.' This economic plan describes some of the principles that we are using to develop our plan, but it is not the Republican alternative budget. We will not produce our Republican substitute to the budget resolution until next week." The fact that they had to send a clarifying memo to party members suggests that they either weren't exactly clear on what was happening before they released this whatever-it-is-now plan or that they're trying to redefine what was released after the fact. That Boehner called it "a detailed road-to-recovery plan" when he released it tells me it's probably the latter. It's also referred to as a "detailed plan to curb spending, create jobs, and control debt" in a press release from the minority leader's office.
Boehner blew it, now everyone else in the GOP has to cover his ass.
